Piano di Sorrento, the eve of the meeting on the Giuspatronato: «Now is the time!». The post of the “Black Procession”
Piano di Sorrento. There are now a few hours left until the meeting to be held tomorrow, Saturday 25 June at 19.00, in the Basilica of San Michele Arcangelo to talk about the “Ius Patronatus”. A meeting organized and strongly desired byArchconfraternity Death and Prayer of Piano di Sorrento.
On the eve of such an important appointment Michele GargiuloPrior of the Archconfraternity Death and Prayer, publishes a post on Facebook: «Now is the time! What was the weather like when, with the wind in your sails, one word would have been enough … even a whispered word: “Dear Felice, this can be done!”. One word! Instead we found ourselves alone: ”three brigands … with not even the three donkeys!”.
Alone in an anonymous room of the episcope to plead the cause of a young priest who at his first baptism of fire saw himself delegitimized by the “far away” who invoked the law and by the “neighbors” who did not stop crying about a departure.
It was November 2006, if I remember correctly, and I still carry in my heart the words of Gianfranco and Giosuè who, like a choir, repeated in alternating voices: “Excellency, our history deserves a parish priest and not a parish administrator!” And again: “Give us the opportunity to vote for Don Pasquale!”.
Even then it was not the time, because perhaps it was already late!
The three “Brigands” without even the three “donkeys” managed to snatch a promise that was then disregarded due to the fears born up there in Trinità, where a parish priest was not elected but a parish administrator rejected.
Sometimes the Lord has the Shepherd show the way to the flock itself: that election of a very young priest would have generated in the following years so much and so much grace as to make that choice blessed.
That promise ultimately remains the only response to a request made for “Save” the right: so many proclamations, so many skirmishes but nothing that in all these years has really opened a window or, at least, a confrontation with our pastor!
Honor to the fighters, but then the battles must be won!
But, in all this, there is always the Lord’s intervention: always! With us he did it in a superfine way, he gave us the opportunity to study, to know, to deepen our wonderful history. We have read about lay organizations that, already in the seventeenth century, were structured in a “modern” way to create well-being and solidarity for all “Children” of our land: no one excluded!
Of the rich who made part of their assets available to guarantee the poor a more dignified life.
Of a nobility that also shared the last home, that of eternal rest, with the poorest! Not a closed church, for a few, but a church open to all!
A church where people dreamed of a better life for their people. A church which, in order to defend the value of its ideas, was never anyone’s servant!
A church that was not silent, even when this meant confronting and fighting with the “temporal” and “spiritual” authorities.
A church run by the people which, despite being stripped of almost all assets by subversive laws, has also given us all the opportunity to benefit from so much grace. As always, what has been built again in recent years has been done thanks to the generosity of our grandparents’ grandparents!
All this always and in any case in the shadow of the Cross and never in silence!
This is in our DNAwe know the silences, but those of the cathedrals of our hearts!
Now I think it is worthwhile to pray aloud, for my church, for Don Pasquale, Don Antonino and for my grandfather whom I accompanied to vote for his parish priest; I found him at the door of the door fully dressed, he was wearing the good suit! He would have entered the church years later, always in the same dress … but for the last farewell!
I’m this…”.